Wright keeping expectations realistic

GSE Racing manager Colin Wright believes his team are 'in with a good chance' of battling it out for the podium when they make their appearance on the international stage at this weekend's World Superbike Championship round at Donington Park.

GSE Racing, who won as WSBK wild-cards with Neil Hodgson back in 2000, will take riders Leon Camier and James Ellison to Donington Park under the Airwaves Yamaha banner following a hugely successful start to the 2009 British Superbike Championship, one that currently sees them holding a 1-2 in the overall standings.

With last year's BSB wild-cards, Rizla Suzuki, HM Plant Honda and Hydrex Honda, proving to be competitive alongside their WSBK counterparts, it is anticipated that Camier and Ellison will be similarly capable of challenging at the forefront.

However, while Wright is setting his immediate sights on a good result come the end of the weekend, he is reserving judgement until the first round of free practice has occurred.

“Our hopes are high, but our expectations are realistic,” he told Crash.net Radio. it will depend on how hard we work in first practice going through to qualifying and then the race. GSE have been wild-cards in the past, in 2000 with Neil Hodgson, and we planned it right and did it right. So, our hopes are that we will win races, but our expectations remain realistic.

“The expectation is that both riders will get into the top eight, but that will change hopefully on the Friday when we've done practice and competed against the best in the world. Once we have seen that in real terms, then we will be able to decide whether we have a realistic chance of getting onto the podium.

“At this moment, I do believe we are in with a chance, but we haven't raced Spies, Haga, Fabrizio, Rea and Haslam – those are the guys doing a good job at the level they are at. Equally, they haven't met us yet either! Until you meet the guy you are competing against then you don't know how prepared you are.”

With Yamaha currently lacking a competitive satellite concern in World Superbikes, unlike key rivals Ducati, Wright admits 'team orders' could well come into play - but only if requested by the factory team.

“If we find ourselves in front of Ben in the race, and there has been no discussion prior to the race, then we will stay in front whether it is James or Leon,” he added.

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OK this should be interesting. Spies vs 3 riders on the same package with tons of experience racing at Donington. This is great for the BSB boys to see how they stack up. I just hope Sykes isn't shown up to poorly at his home race. It would kill him to lose out to the domestic series riders.
Team orders aside I hope the BSB boys can take some points off Haga. After all the technical failures Spies has suffered he needs all the help he can get.

What?! Team orders?!
This is not F1. I'm a Spies fan, but I would very upset if I see someone pull aside and let Spies win or gain a position. This is bike racing. This isn't even the end of the season. If that happens at this point in the season than Yamaha should be fined heavily. I think wild cards have the right to fight it out with the big boys and show the world what they have.
If Ducati can let Fabrizio slug it out with Haga all season than Yamaha can let the wildcards fight it out for one race.